True Entertainment, the production company behind the hit series "Real Housewives of Atlanta" had been obliged to pay its workers after working anywhere from 50-72 hours a week. This amendment to pay the production workers had been made in New York.
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the restitution to be contrived by the company. He stated that his office is committed to employee laws and that he would grant fair justice upon the compensation for the missed pay for workers. Production workers routinely only work 40 hours per week and so he would do anything in his power to defend the employees’ rights to overtime pay. He also stated that he discourages employers to incorporate long workweeks for staffs.
As reported by Buzzfeed, hundreds of employees in the production company since Jan. 1, 2009, up to present had been working overtime for more than 50 hours, sometimes reaching 72 hours. Not paying workers overtime then violates the state’s policy. Hence, the amount of $411,000 would be distributed among production assistants, associate producers, and other workers who missed their overtime pay.
Moreover, the production company had already released a settlement statement on the matter. The company stated on The Jasmine Brand, “True Entertainment has been a top creator of TV programming for nearly 17 years, and for every one of those years has compensated its employees fairly and competitively, with many employees having worked at True for more than a decade.”
The production company also added that they are in fact treating employees well with equal benefits for all. They mentioned health insurance and paid time off in the statement. Moreover, they stated that they exempt creative employees from the overtime restitution under the state law, but the New York General State Attorney didn’t agree to their offer. Yet they concluded that a civilized settlement with the General Attorney and the company is already in progress.
